IThis is my first time writing this forum. I have a few brass Santa Fe steam locos all with oil tenders. I would like to buy a few plastic steam engines also with oil tenders but they all seem to come only with coal tenders. Any one know of a source of plastic oil tenders hopefully both long and medium haul size?
[#welcome] to the forum. I don’t know the answer to your question. But I am confident that the folks here will be able to help you. The expertise combined here is simply amazing!
MDC made oil tenders for their Atlantics and 2-6-2s.
IHC locomotives come with either coal or oil tenders, according to what the prototype railroad used, so look thorugh their advertisements for the available choices.
The Bachmann Santa Fe 4-8-4 comes with an oil tender doesn’t it?
Dave Nelson
Oil bunkers are easy to scratchbuild out of plastic and a little wire (for handrails). No need to look anywhere else but your own workbench!
I had sort of the same problem, I got an oil tender that had been converted from a coal tender, it seems someone had just covered the coal bin with a sheet of brass and added the appropriate detailing, if there is no damage to the tender, this might work in reverse , a lot of the real coal to oil conversions were relatively simple. I can’t recall any oil back to coal conversions.
I think the UP changed some of their Challengers from coal to oil and back to coal again, and at least one of the Ohio Central’s steamers was an oil burner, that they converted to coal. I’m sure there are other such conversions (probably on the Santa Fe, for example, or a testbed engine for the Pennsy)
If you’re looking specifically for Santa Fe style tenders, the only one available in plastic is from Model Die Casting (12,000 gal). However, that tender is pretty versatile and can be used behind a number of SF locomotives in various classes (e.g. 3400 4-6-2’s, 3160 & 4000 2-8-2’s, the occasional 900 or 1600 2-10-2, etc.). You’ll need a set of plain bearing Commonweath 6 wheel trucks. Those are available from Precision Scale.
Otherwise, you’re kinda stuck with kitbashing or scratchbuilding unless a band or rabid Santa Fe fans can convince BLI to release the 20,000 gal tender from the 3751 4-8-4 and the 15.000 gal tender from the upcoming 3800 class 2-10-2 as separate items.
The only other oil tenders available in plastic are the 7000 gallon Vanderbilt from MDC , the medium Vanderbilt (can’t tell if it’s the 9000 or 10000 gal tender) and the 16000 gallon tender used behind some of SP’s larger locos.
Andre